Li Qiang and Christopher Luxon in Wellington, New Zealand, yesterday. PHOTO: GETTY
Business talks on climate during Li visit
Andrew Tillett
Foreign affairs correspondent
Chinese and Australian business chiefs will discuss deepening co-operation on climate change as part of high-level talks during the visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, despite global moves to lessen Beijing’s dominance in green technology.
Boosting ties in mining and energy, agriculture and services will also be high on the agenda for the seventh Australia-China CEO Roundtable in Perth on Tuesday.
The round table, facilitated by the Business Council of Australia (BCA), will bring together executives from 12 top companies from each country, before they present their findings to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Mr Li.
Australian CEOs attending will include Rio Tinto’s Kellie Parker, Wesfarmers’ Rob Scott, Fortescue’s Andrew Forrest and Qube’s Paul Digney. Other companies represented will include ANZ, BHP, BlueScope, Cochlear, Grain-Corp, King & Wood Mallesons, Monash University and Woodside.
Officials are tight-lipped on which Chinese firms will be represented, but they are expected to include a number of state-owned enterprises, including major conglomerate CITIC.
Key items on the agenda include how to create an attractive and competitive business environment for firms in both countries, and how China and Australia can deepen innovation and supply chains to jointly address global challenges such as climate change. ‘‘It’s the quality and depth of personal and business relationships that strengthens bilateral ties, and this roundtable provides an opportunity for businesses from both countries to come together and strengthen their linkages,’’ BCA chief executive Bran Black said.
‘‘More engagement is a positive thing and China is important to our economy and Australian jobs, providing a quarter of our trade, totalling almost $320 billion last year. The parameters of the bilateral relationship are, of course, set by governments, and it is then the job of businesses to work together within those guardrails to the fullest possible extent and this roundtable provides an important opportunity to help do just that.’’
Mr Li will arrive in Adelaide tomorrow. In New Zealand yesterday, he and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon oversaw the signing of agreements to build business ties.
Meanwhile, Deputy US Secretary of State Kurt Campbell revealed Mr Albanese would attend next month’s NATO summit in Washington. Dr Campbell said the leaders of the ‘‘Asia-Pacific 4’’, which includes Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, had been invited.